CHAPTER XXV 



THE GENERAL GENITAL INFECTIONS 

 OF CARNIVORA 



Since the general genital infections of dogs and cats have 

 not been extensively studied, little can be said of them. It 

 is known that carnivora suffer frequently and seriously 

 from general genital infections, but their individual value 

 is so low in many cases, and so few, comparatively, are 

 valued highly for breeding purposes that this group of dis- 

 eases has attracted scant attention. 



It is well known that dogs suffer virtually universally 

 from a well marked genital catarrh. It is so common that 

 it is designated as normal and, so far as known, has had no 

 serious study. It is assumed to cause no important harm. 

 It is a repulsive disease in many males, as the genital dis- 

 charge soils the hairs about the sheath opening and attracts 

 many flies. 



The bacterial flora of the genital tract is quite unknown. 

 B. abortus (Bang) has been recognized in the genital tract 

 of the bitch following experimental inoculation. It was not 

 known that the bacillus did not already exist in the bitch at 

 the time of inoculation, and it is not known how frequently 

 the B. abortus exists naturally in either dogs or cats. Since 

 both feed freely upon cow's milk, which ordinarily contains 

 B. abortus, it is probably a common habitant of the organs 

 of carnivora. The infections of the genitalia of carnivora 

 probably resemble closely, if they are not frequently iden- 

 tical with, the bacteria invading the genitalia of other spe- 

 cies. At least they behave in the same general manner and 

 cause the same clinical phenomena. 



Little is recorded concerning the infections of the testicle 

 and epididymis of carnivora. In the dog, without vesiculae 

 seminales, the prostate assumes prominence anatomically 

 and pathologically. Prostatitis is a common malady seen 

 chiefly in adult and aged dogs. It has not been studied ex- 

 cept when it causes clinical symptoms consisting of diffi- 



